Tia Fuller & Shamie Fuller Royston

Tia Fuller

When Grammy-nominated Mack Avenue recording artist, composer, and bandleader Tia Fuller picks up her saxophone, something amazing happens. Blending technical brilliance, melodic creativity, and the performing precision drawn from both her academic and stage experience, Fuller is a force to be reckoned with in the worlds of jazz, pop, R&B, and more. Currently, Fuller balances the worlds of performance and education, fulfilling a demanding schedule as both a busy touring and recording artist and a full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Fuller’s resume makes her uniquely qualified for these roles. The Denver, Colorado native graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, and summa cum laude with a Master’s degree in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Already established as a leading jazz musician, Fuller was selected to be a member of the all-female band touring with Grammy-winning pop star Beyoncé. Performing as part of the I AM … Sasha Fierce and Beyoncé Experience World Tour on stages across the globe, Fuller also became a featured soloist on the Beyoncé Experience DVD (Me, Myself and I), I AM Yours I DVD (Wynn Theatre) and also appeared on number of major television shows, including Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, BET Awards, American Music Awards, Grammy Awards and as a featured soloist with Beyoncé for President Obama at the White House.

Shamie Fuller-Royston

Born in Denver, Colorado, Shamie Royston is a pianist, composer and educator. The New York Times states: “She is a rhythmic vanguardist…who channels Kenny Kirkland, Geri Allen, Ahmad Jamal and McCoy Tyner.” Her exquisite style of piano playing is a combination of traditional and contemporary sounds, which embodies a deep-rooted and soulful spirit. With her fiery, yet soulful piano playing, she has toured Europe and the United States having performed in many of the top jazz venues and festivals in the world.

Shamie has been commissioned to compose and arrange works for Grammy-Winning vocalist Dianne Reeves, Allison Miller and Grammy nominated Tia Fuller, as well as other prominent musicians. In October 2022, Shamie was recently awarded a fellowship from the Berklee College of Music Jazz, Gender and Justice Program, to do a 2 week long residency at the UCROSS Foundation, where highly acclaimed artist of all forms come to work on their craft. She is the first recipient to receive this from the Berklee College of Music. She was also commissioned to compose a song for the 2023 JEN Conference (Jazz Education Network). Her most recent accomplishment is composing a song on Terri Lynn Carrington’s Grammy award winning album “The New Standard” entitled “Uplifted Heart.” This album recently won a Grammy for “Best Jazz Instrumental” in February 2023.

Shamie is not only a performer and composer, but deemed as a Master Educator. At the prestigious Berklee School of Music, Shamie held a full-time a professorship in the Jazz Composition Department. It was here, where she co-directed ensembles with grammy award winning Terence Blanchard and led jazz composition and jazz arranging classes. Shamie has also been on faculty with the prestigious Carnegie Hall NYO (New York Youth Orchestra) Jazz summer program for young musicians, and has adjudicated and worked with college and high school level jazz ensembles. Her most recent endeavor was in July 2024, she was chosen to be on faculty to to teach New York City teachers at a retreat about jazz ensembles and incorporating jazz into their school programs. She has been on many panel discussions including, “Women In Jazz Discussion” at the Monterey Jazz Festival, a presenter at the JEN Conference, and a panelist for school districts on “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Schools” and many more. She is an active member of the community where she continues to inspire students in music education and excellence in academic achievement.